Potato planter



4l. H. IMUS.

' POTATO PLANTER. APPucAnou men rsa. 1s. 191s.

Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

J. H. IMUS. 4pomo PLANTER.' APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19. v1916.

' Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

2' SHEETS-SHEET 2- A naar JAMES H. IMU'S, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNORTO TI-IE OHIO BAKE COMPANY, 0F DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION 0F OI-IIO.

POTATO-PLANTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES l-I. IMUs, Va citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Imp-rovements in Potato-Planters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to potato planters of the type wherein a series of pickers are caused to revolve around a shaft over a receiver for potatoes, these pickers having prongs to imp-ale a piece of seed potato and slotted ooncaves arranged in the receiver to press the potatoes on the prongs. The pickers are then caused to release the piece of seed potato b-y striking against a knock-ofi' bar, said seed being delivered to the ground. In such devices there is a' means for opening a furrow where the seed potatoes `are to fall, and another device for closing the furrow. Y

The chief difiiculty in the proper feeding of potatoes is that if they are not fed regularly, there is a wasting of potatoes, or `else an irregular planting, owing to too many or too few beingk deposited from the pickers. Thus it is one of the objects of this invention to provide a hopper for receiving the seed potatoes, having a special form of agitatorwhich works the potatoes regularly to the position fordelivery tothe receiver member. It is the object to so control this agitator that it works rapidly or slowly corresponding to the working. of the pickers.

Another difficulty in feeding by means of pickers as ers of the past have not been adjustable as to the amount of projecting iprong to impale the seed, so that when small pieces of seed should be desired, too many pieces would be delivered by the pickers. It is an object of this invention to providek a means for `adjusting the amount of protruding prong, to avoid the said difficulty.

These objects and other -advantagesto be dulynoted I accomplish byzthat certain construction and arrangement of parts to be above described, is that the-pick-v hereinafter more specifically pointed out and claimed. v

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail front elevation of the picker.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the head of the picker, detached. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the operated member of the agitator plates.

Fig.,7 is a detail rear elevation showing the adjustable mounting of the cover disks. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 7

Fig. 9 is a detail top plan view of the knock-off member.

' The machine has a framework comprising a pair of converging horizontal bars 1, which are bolted to the tongue 2, at V3 and to which is suitably mounted the receiver 4 for the picker mechanism. The framework has uprights 5 for mounting the seat 6, and the uprights 7 for mountingthe hopper 8. Pivoted at 10 to the forward portion of the bars 1, is a frame having the curved side bars 9, one on each side, said bars l being connected at the rear by the rear bar 11.

The cover disks 12 for covering over the seed potatoes `are mounted on the rear bar 11 as will be described, and the main shaft 13 of the machine is journaled in the receiver 4. On this main shaft are the carrying wheels 14 of the machine, these carrying wheels serving to operate the pickers whichy are mounted on said main shaft.

A pivoted lever 15 working over a slotted segment 16 at the front of the machine, operates, by means of a' rod 17, a clutch 1S on the main'shaft of the machine located inside of the receiver 4 (Fig. 2). Another lever 19, -working over a segment 20, has a connection with a rock shaft 21 at the rear of the machine which raises the rear meinber 11 'of .the frame that holds the lcover disks 12. The exact construction of the arts now` described forms no part of my invention, and `it will he understood that any well known. expedients for accomplishing the same results which are familiar inv the art would be just as satisfactory.

The furrow opening,- disks-,22 are set into a framel 23 so as to form an acute Vangle pointing toward the front of the machine..

They. are mounted on shafts. 24 .in .said

frame and have the strike-off plates. 25v which are mounted on the frame barsl lf At 'about the middle portion of the--V frame 23 is pivotally connected the arm 26, which operatively, connects the frame. with lthe lever' 15, which it will be remembered is used for operating the clutch on the driving shaft. Connected to the frame in front of'thearni 26 is a'sp'ring27, which serves to pull the forward portion of the frame up toward the tongue 2. v

` Pivotally -connected tothe tongue ahead of the spring is an arm 28 which hasfa't its lower end a slot 29. vA pin 30 'which `'connects theftwo'plates of the frame23 is passed through this slot and thus provides a vslide-ble pivot point vfor` the front of the disk frame.- Y

rlhe means adopted forpickingupl pieces of seed potato in the 'receiver and depositing' them "on the ground is huilt on vthe same 4vprinciple as the Vusual run of potato 'planters on the market. Bolted to the guardi33n that -ison the tongue'2 vof the machine is aplate 90 which is located overa chute 39 that isso i -placed that it directs seed potatoes that pass down the same, into the 'furrow uncovered ihy the diskVn lof the furrow opener now described. Thesecuring yholt 91 of this plate serves also tomount a second or knock-off 4platel 92', 'which has a forwardly sloping top, andfis"resilientlyheld away from the plate 90 by sp'ringsz93, .93. The plate 90 has a ilangg'ief94l on which rides vthe like vtiangep 'of' the plate A92, and the Sange 95 slotted 'so as toffbe guided vbyfav stud 96 on the Aflange 94. f

As stated, theinain'shaft of the lmachine vhas a'clutch which is operated bvvthei lifter for the furrow opener. .Vhen the clutch is 'in operative'position, the disk 40 onV a sleeve 4l on the shaft'is caused to rotate with the -saidzshaft Gn' the disk are a series of pick` :rs l'iavinigl arms 4`2`bolted ytothe disk. These Iarms haveat theirv upper end two plates 43, 44, spaced away from each. other, the one preferably integral with ythearm and the 'other-riveted thereto'at 45; .A pair of fiat prongs 46 spaced away'. from each other V-e-.reinounted at'tlie inner termination-of the v'plates 43, 44, and :pivotedbetween.the 4plates at'47 islthe'remover plate 48.

The plate'i43 entends down'vbetween vthe two prongs am l. :is a rearward lextent-Sion w49 'whichis "arranged to.. contact Awith lthe .knock-oiffpl'ate, and when fthe pickersare put infmotion and vthe prongs vpick vup a piece lof potato, the-'knock -iofl' .plate will strike the rear end of the remover and canse it to strike off the piece of potato from the prongs. inasmuch as the knock-OE plate 92 is resilient. on its spring` mounting, it will Vallow yfor anyl jainnjiing of the remover plate, Aand, moreover, it will be free from .the liability to break during continued use. As so far. described, the pickers are the saine lthose familiar in the art. In conv,nectio'n with the remover plate, however,

trolling the amount of prong` which; is free.

yto pick up apiece of potato. a

The receiver' 4y into which the seed potato is delivered from the hopper aswill' be vdescribedisslottcd forthe passageof the pickers, as is the usualpractice,` andthe prongs 'will pass'through the` mass of seed -in theV receiver, vpicking up `onepiece'ofpotato, pro- Evided the-prongs do not extend freely'alrlistance long enough teal-low several pieces to be picked up. 'By adjusting` the picker as above described, itisplainthat the freeeX- tensionv ofv the prongs may be easily,` controlled so thata regularfeedcan always be had. l Y

VF or 'pressing the pieces of potato on the prongs, as is the usual practice, a pair'ofreceiver will have to :pass along-"in the slot 'in the one' or the otherofth'e concaves.

' As Vis ythe usual practice, the receiver is sloped toward 7 the center and the picker diskiand' concavesA are mounted "-atithe niedianfline of the.receiver,f1the`.potatoes being delivered tothe sidesofsaid receiver at the Tear, from thence naturally falling to the vcent-er thereof where .they fare infthel path` of the pickers.

The'hopper 8 isa four sided boxv ywitlrla sloping; base adapted*to-receive the'seed pol tato-'chopped up ready for planting, ft' has .a'rdge15`5l formed along` the centerline of the base, and the base isslottedor cut away valong each 'side lof the ridge, this vcut .-awayzportio'n 'being :closed by .the :agitator plates,V *n.Thehopper :hase is formed so that it will fit down over the rear expanded end of the receiver, and gates 57, 57, are pro- Vvided, one at each sidefof the forward end of thehopper to control the size of the open ing from the hopper into the receiver. The said front side of the hopper lis provided withtwo cut away portions (not shown) whic form the openings which the gates are te close, and the gates are mounted on slant-ing extensions 58, 58, on the front of the hopper, the'said gates having a slot 59 and a bolt for adjustably securing them on the said extension members.

The agitators comprise three plates, 61, a long plate that extends out through a slot inv the rear of the hopper, 62, a small plate which is rocked as will be described, and is hinged to the long plate and 63, a small plate which falls over the end of lthe receiver and is likewise hinged to the plate 62. When the plate 62 is rocked, the hinge joints alternately rise and fall and at the same time the plates 6lV and 63 are drawn toward or `forced away from the center of movement of thev rocking plate. 'Ihis movement gives a progressive forward pushing and tipping to the mass of seed potato in the hopper as the motion is similar to three waves foi-met by the agitators in the base of the hopper that impel the seed toward the gates at the front end thereof.

0n the sleeve 41, which it will be remembered serves as the mounting for the pickers, is mounted a sprocket 64. A shaft (35 is mounted at the upper end of the hopper and on this shaft isa loose sleeve 66 carrying a sprocket 67. A chain 68 passes over these two sprockets and the sleeve 66 is thrown into clutched position with the shaft by means of a lever 69, that throws the sleeve into mesh with a fixed collar 70 on said shaft. The fixed collar has clutch teeth to mesh with like teeth on the sleeve, and the lever is mounted on a collar which is pushed against the loose sleeve by the tooth 71 thereon riding in and out of a notch formed in the housing of the shaft 65.

On the end of 4t-he shaft is a crank 72, which is connected by an arm 73 with a long` crank 7 4. mounted on a square shaft 75 at the base of the hopper. rIhe middle or rocking plate of the agitator has a pair of brackets 7 6 on its under side to engage the square shaft, and the said square shaft is journaled on a rounded portion thereof in the base of the hopper in any desired manner.

The agitator may thus be thrown into or out of connection with the picker sleeve, and it will operate at a speed regulated by the speed of operation of the pickers. Therocking plate 62 has a pair of rounded fingers 77 (Fig. 6), which contact with the under sides of the other two agitator plates that are hinged thereto, and these fingers `assist in the raising and lowering lportion of the two plates at the point of their hinged connection to the rocking plate.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire vto secure 'by Letters Patent, is

l. In a potato planter, a hoppertherefor, vand -an agitator in said hopperlocated in the base thereof and free to slide inthe hopper at its ends, and means for raising the agitator at a plurality of points progressively.

2. In a potato planter, a hopper therefor, and an agitator in said hopper located inthe basethereof, and means for raising the agitator at a plurality of points progressively and simultaneously moving the same lengthwise of the hopper-at a plurality of points to impart a progressive wave motion thereto.

3. In a potato planter, a hopper therefor, and agitating means located in the base of the hopper and comprising a .series of plates hinged to each other, and means for rocking one of the inner plates of the series to impart motion to the series, said outer plates being free to slide in the hopper.

4. In a potato planter, a picker therefor,

impaling a piece of potato, a means for removing said piece from the prongs movably mounted on said member, and means for regulating the normal position of the removing means to adjust the working length of the prongs.

5. In a pot-ato planter, a picker therefor, said picker having prongs to impale a piece of potato, means for removing the potato from the prongs, a means for regulating the working length of the prongs.

6. In a potato planter', a picker therefor, comprising a member having prongs for impaling a piece of potato, a plate for removing said potato from the prongs, pivotally mounted to said member, a portionrof said plate positioned between-the prongs, and adjustable means for regulating the normal position of the portion of the plate located between vthe prongs to control the working length of the prongs.

7. In a potato planter, in combination with a series of movable picker members adapted to pick up al portion of potato, a remover member on said pickers for removing the potato therefrom, and means to contact with said remover member to operate the same, comprising a knock-off member resiliently secured to said planter.

8. In a potato planter, in combination with a series of removable'picker membersl adapted to impale a portion of potato and carry it to a delivery point, means on the picker for removing said impaled potato, and a knock-oft' member to operate the rcmoving means, resiliently mounted on the planter.

comprising a member having prongsforV iso 9.111 combination Wth-the pivotal remover member of a potato picker, in e planting machine7` :tl plate Ytoy strike :saidV remover .member,`v comprising a ltransverse member ,spring-supported on the machine `so as to be resilient to the bloWo thefremover member.

10. In combination. with the Yr pivotal Y re- 

